Recipe - Summer Greens That Inspire Singing
To hear Jocelyn Jackson’s opening song last October at Grazing at the Kitchen Table was to instantly feel a sense of place and community. As is tradition in Jocelyn’s family, meals and times of gathering are convened with a song. Although we are unable to host Grazing this year, we hold strongly to the soul-stirring memories of years past. We think of how we can convey the generosity and love expressed in Jocelyn’s song, and in so many other moments shared together, onto the producers and artisans that have crafted the event. This recipe and Jocelyn’s words are one place to start in bringing the spirit of Grazing into your own home. For even more inspiration, visit our Grazing at the Kitchen Table page.
Jocelyn’s passion for culturally significant food, social justice, creativity, and community is rooted in a childhood spent on the Kansas plains. She founded JUSTUS Kitchen to continue to create healing food experiences, including Tender Soul Sessions for Black women and femmes, that inspire folks to reconnect with themselves, the earth, and one another, with the goal of collective liberation. Trained as an artist, attorney, and environmental educator, she enjoys using her role as a cook activist to build beloved community. You can read more about this in Jocelyn’s recent Eater article where she discusses Black women’s legacy of food and protest.
Jocelyn is also a co-founder of the People’s Kitchen Collective (PKC) based in Oakland. It is a large-scale community dining project that uses food and art to address the critical issues of our time while centering the lived experiences of Black and Brown folks. PKC was named “Rising Star Chef” by the San Francisco Chronicle, honored on the YBCA 100 list, and was presented with the advocate award at CAAMFeast.
In the heart of the summer, we once again turn to Jocelyn’s song and voice to unite us around the food being harvested and brought to our tables. We are grounded not only in what we are eating and its journey to reach us, but also the action needed to rebuild our food system in support of future harvests. When you immerse yourself in the dish that Jocelyn has shared, we hope that you find flavorful local ingredients, feel nourished by community, and sing to your heart’s desire.
Photo credit: JUSTUS Kitchen
BY ANY GREENS NECESSARY
Serves 4-6 souls
Begin with the intentions to love and nourish. As you collect your ingredients and prepare the food, think of all the ways your pot of greens will celebrate and support your family and your community. Each time we spend time at the hearth, we have the opportunity to transform our relationship to place and people. When I watched my Grandma make greens, the steam from the pot rising up into her face as she tasted for doneness, she taught me that lesson.
Make your way to your own garden or a neighbor’s garden or a community garden and harvest a handful of collard greens. Then visit the farmer's market and go over to your favorite local farmer's stand and purchase three bunches of their freshly picked collard greens. Take time in the garden and at the farmer's market to share your story of collards or other seasonal produce and experiences. All of this talking and learning and caring will make its way into the pot with your collard greens.
4 bunches of collard greens (feel free to add in beet or turnip tops, kale or mustard greens if you like)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
As my Aunty says, "clean them greens to your own satisfaction" by removing the large stems and washing them in a bath of salt water or vinegar water. Stack 4 to 6 greens on top of one another, roll together, and slice into half inch ribbons. Set aside.
Put two tablespoons of olive oil in a heated deep cast iron pot.
Add chopped yellow onion to the pot. Salt slightly to help the onions release their moisture. Sauté on medium heat until translucent. Stir occasionally.
Add 3 chopped garlic cloves to the onions and stir occasionally. Cook over medium heat for an additional 3 minutes. Add 3 chopped carrots and the sliced greens to the pot.
Pour vegetable broth over the greens. Add salt and pepper as well. Don't stir. Place tight lid over the pot and let steam over low heat for 20 minutes. Lift the lid and stir. Add additional broth if your potlikker is low. Replace the lid and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Lift the lid, add 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and salt to taste. Stir and replace lid for another 15 minutes or until delicious and tender greens show up.
When my big family gathered around to eat Grandma’s delicious pot of greens that tasted so much like home we always sang a blessing first. A song of gratitude. Go ahead and serve the collard greens right from the pot. Serve them with the blessing that all who are nourished by this offering will have even more strength to love and cultivate their community. And don’t forget to drink down a jigger full of that potlikker too.
